Unicom in GSM deal

CHINA United Telecommunications has signed a contract with Northern Telecom Asia to buy a digital cellular telephone network from Nortel based upon the internationally-recognised GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) 900MHz standard.

The contract calls for a complete turnkey cellular telephone network based upon Nortel's digital DMS-MSC SuperNode switch. The GSM network will include 26 base stations and support 15,000 subscribers. China Unicom plans to expand the GSM network to support more than 50,000 subscribers in Daqing in the near future.

'The Daqing GSM system is a very good beginning for co-operation between Northern Telecom and China Unicom,' import/export department director Sun Jingboe of China Unicom said.

'China Unicom is one of the nation's major telecommunications operators and enjoys great potential. Therefore we look forward to extending this relationship in the future.

'This is a significant contract for Nortel in China.

'Daqing's current cellular network is based on analog equipment. Our success proves the advantages of the GSM digital cellular technology and the competitiveness of the DMS-MSC SuperNode switch in the marketplace,' Malcolm Bayes, wireless marketing director, Nortel China, said.